Ultimate Bacon Broccoli Mac and Cheese: Quick, Budget-Friendly, and Kid-Approved!
Searching for a meal that ticks all the boxes? Look no further than this incredible Bacon Broccoli Mac and Cheese! It’s the ultimate solution for busy weeknights, offering a delicious, ultra-cheesy experience that will comfortably feed a family of four for around $10. Not only is it incredibly satisfying and hearty, but it’s also incredibly light on your grocery budget and comes together with surprising speed. Prepare to delight your taste buds and your wallet with this winning recipe!
Crafting a victorious weeknight recipe that doesn’t break the bank can often feel like a culinary quest. Many home cooks struggle to find that perfect balance of affordability, taste, and convenience. That’s precisely why I’ve taken the guesswork out of meal planning for you! You’re welcome—consider this my elaborate bow in gratitude for trusting me with your dinner table needs!
Savvy Shopping: Maximizing Your Budget with Harris Teeter
This Bacon Broccoli Mac and Cheese recipe leverages the incredible value offered by Harris Teeter’s private label items. These high-quality products are strategically placed throughout the store and are easily identifiable by their distinctive red square logo. By choosing these store-brand essentials, you can significantly reduce your grocery bill without compromising on taste or quality. Shopping the square is a simple yet effective way to save big on your weekly groceries, making delicious and affordable meals like this one a regular occurrence in your home.
The Secret Weapon: Sneaking Veggies into a Kid-Approved Dish
One of the biggest challenges for parents is ensuring their children get their daily dose of vegetables. With this recipe, I’ve got a fantastic trick up my sleeve: I cleverly hide nutrient-rich broccoli within the velvety, irresistibly cheesy sauce. What child, or even adult, can resist the delightful combination of broccoli and cheese? I’m absolutely convinced your kids will adore this dish. How can I be so sure? Because I found a delightful little tester who happily gave this recipe his enthusiastic seal of approval!
I sent a generous bowl of this Bacon Broccoli Mac and Cheese home with one of my co-workers, and she reported back with glowing reviews. Her “little dude” absolutely devoured it! He loved it so much that he flat-out refused to share—not even a single bite with his own mama. That, my friends, is the highest form of culinary praise. This kid, with his unwavering dedication to a good mac and cheese, is undoubtedly my spirit animal!
Dinner in a Dash: A 30-Minute Culinary Triumph
Beyond its incredibly appealing $10 price tag, this dish boasts another remarkable feature: it comes together in just under 30 minutes! In today’s fast-paced world, time is a precious commodity, especially when it comes to preparing wholesome family meals after a long day. So, who’s winning the dinner game tonight? You are, my friends… you absolutely are!
The magic begins while your pasta water is coming to a rolling boil. During this crucial time, you’ll embark on the journey of creating the creamiest, most delectable cheese sauce imaginable. And what’s the secret ingredient for that initial burst of flavor? A touch of rendered bacon fat, generously leftover from the crispy bacon strips that were sizzling in your pan just moments before. Combine that rich bacon fat with a hint of butter, and you’ve got the foundational layers of an extraordinary sauce—oh my, indeed!
To ensure a speedy and effortless cleanup later on, we’re going to streamline the cheese preparation by using convenient pre-shredded Cheddar and Colby Jack cheeses. You’ll find these easily in the refrigerator section of your local Harris Teeter. We all know weeknights are packed with activities and responsibilities, so let’s keep the cooking and cleanup as simple and stress-free as possible, okay?
The chopped broccoli is designed to cook alongside your pasta, right in the same pot of vigorously boiling water. This brilliant “two birds, one pot” approach maximizes efficiency and minimizes dishwashing. Once the broccoli reaches a perfectly tender-crisp stage—usually about 4-5 minutes—you’ll swiftly remove it from the pot using a slotted spoon and transfer it directly into your developing creamy béchamel sauce (that’s just a fancy culinary term for a rich, white sauce base). I personally prefer to blend a portion of my cooked broccoli into the cheese sauce. This method imparts a beautiful, subtle broccoli flavor throughout the dish, making it virtually undetectable to picky eaters, while also thickening the sauce slightly. However, if you enjoy distinct pieces of broccoli, feel free to leave them chunky. If you opt for blending, you have a few convenient methods: 1. Transfer half of the sauce to a standard blender and pulse until smooth or slightly chunky. 2. Use a food processor for the same effect. Or, for the absolute easiest method, 3. Employ an immersion blender directly in the pot to break up the broccoli to your desired consistency. This keeps everything in one pot and reduces extra dishes!
In a mere 30 minutes, you’ll be proudly dishing up a wonderfully cheesy, comforting, and nutrient-packed meal that will satisfy everyone at the table. Get ready for smiles and clean plates!
Bacon Broccoli Mac and Cheese
Pin
Rate
Ingredients
- 8 slices bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
- 3 cups milk, 2% milk fat or higher
- 1 cup half and half
- 1 teaspoon worcestershire sauce
- ½ teaspoon ground mustard
- ¾ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon Beau Monde seasoning, or seasoned salt
- 1 pound macaroni
- 4 cups chopped broccoli
- 2 ounces Velveeta cheese
- 2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
- 1 cup shredded Colby Jack cheese
Instructions
-
Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
-
While the water comes to a boil, add the bacon to a large pot over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring often, until the bacon is crisp. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate. Remove the bacon fat from the pot, reserving 2 tablespoons. Add the butter and cook until melted. Whisk in the flour and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute.
-
Slowly whisk in the milk and half and half. Add the worcestershire sauce, ground mustard, garlic powder, and Beau Monde seasoning (or seasoned salt); whisk to combine. Bring the mixture to boil, whisking often, until the sauce thickens.
-
Season the boiling water with a few generous pinches of salt. Add the pasta and chopped broccoli to the water. Cook the broccoli for 4-5 minutes, or until tender. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the broccoli to the thickened béchamel sauce. Continue to cook the pasta until al dente. Strain and set aside.
-
Add the Velveeta cheese to the béchamel sauce. Continue to cook, stirring often, until melted. Using an immersion blender, blend the broccoli into the sauce until slightly chunky. Alternatively, transfer half of the cheese sauce to a blender or food processor and pulse to combine, transferring the sauce back to the pot.
-
Turn off the heat and stir in the Cheddar and Colby Jack cheese. Season the sauce with salt and pepper to taste. Fold in the pasta and cooked bacon. Serve immediately.
More Budget-Friendly Meal Inspiration
Looking to expand your repertoire of affordable and delicious family meals? Here are a few other fantastic $10 meal ideas to add to your weekly menu rotation:
- Mediterranean Grilled Veggie Pita Pizza
- Waffle Iron Turkey & Smoked Gouda Panini
- One-Pot Chili Mac
- Mediterranean Chopped Salad with Tuna
Disclosure: A heartfelt thank you to Harris Teeter for generously sponsoring this post. Please know that all opinions expressed herein are 100% my own and reflect my genuine experience. Your support for my site, as I collaborate with brands I genuinely use and love in my own kitchen, is deeply appreciated.